Zero Gravity
by Saismaat
Summary: The survivors of the Hunter-Grazner get picked up by good people. Good people with DNA sampling capabilities. . .
1. Chapter 1

**a/n** -- slightly alternative universe.. I collapsed Riddick's injury on T2 and the events of Dark Fury together. I wrote this a while ago. If there is interest, I'll echo the whole thing here. It's much sweeter than my last completed story.

**0o0**

Riddick woke slowly, automatically taking inventory. Someone had fixed up his leg. He tensed the muscles carefully. They felt strong. They felt unrestrained. _Strange. _

They'd drugged him good for whatever they had done. The narcotic haze still lingered. But he wasn't in restraints, and they hadn't given him a paralytic. He seemed to be alone in a crew cabin.

_No. _Not alone. Steady breathing from near by. He focused on that. He knew that breathing. Little girl, pretending to be a little boy. _Jack_.

Okay, they really must not know who he was. No one who would clean out his wound that nicely would leave a man with his rap sheet unrestrained in a room with a teenage girl, no matter how smitten with him she was.

Riddick raised his head. The poor kid was curled into some sort of over stuffed easy chair. She must be cold, the way she was clutching a small blanket around herself. Weird she'd be so far away. She'd huddled against him on the skiff, whether for body heat or protection from monsters he hadn't explored. Curled up on the chair she looked impossibly small and vulnerable.

She woke as soon as he sat up, seeming to get bigger. He was slightly impressed. Girl had poise, and her voice was strong. "Hey, Johns. Howya feelin'?"

_Johns. Right. Johns. _He felt a flash of gratitude. _Smart kid. _Reminding him of the cover story.

"Pretty good." His own voice was rougher than usual. Slightly dehydrated.

She knew. "Lemme get you some water. I'm gonna turn the lights on now." She was out of the chair, yawning discretely. Even though it was pitch black, she seemed to know where she was going. _Musta been out a while. _She manually turned the lights to their lowest setting and brought him a glass of water. For the first time since she'd come into his life, her movements were almost shy.

His goggles were on a small bedside table, along with one of his shivs. Seeing them, he felt some of the tension melt away. He smiled at her and patted the bed beside him. "Not rabid, kid. Not gonna bite you. Sit down." She did, giving him a look he couldn't quite read. "So . . . what's up?"

She caught his eyes, shook her head slightly. Making sure his eyes followed hers, she looked up to a spot high on the wall. He followed her gaze to the tell tale glint of a camera.

Looked down. _Okay, they put us in a room with surveillance. Smart. _ _Someone's watching. _

_Could just be a sniffer program. Just lookin' for danger signs . . . _

She was still talking. He focused on her earnest voice. "They fixed us both up, and said everyone else was goin' back into cryo. It's a couple of weeks to the next stop and they didn't want to spend the life support and gravity on keeping everyone awake. But they didn't wanna put you in cryo before they knew if your leg was gonna be okay. I volunteered to stay awake with you, just to make sure. This room's autonomous; they booted up life support here, but not the rest of the ship. We're supposed to go into cryo when you're ready."

_Cryo. Hrmp. _"So you've been takin' care of me?"

She ducked her head, her shyness belied by her foolish grin. "Not much to do. Just keep you hydrated and keep any eye on things. They told me to revive the medic if we needed him."

"Where's the holy man?"

"Cryo." She looked down, her smile fading. She took a deep breath. "Johns, there's something I didn't tell you."

"What's that?"

"I'm a runaway."

_No shit. _ "Yeah?"

She squirmed slightly. "Before they went back to sleep, they sent a burst about the Hunter Grazner crashing, with our . . . information. Our DNA. They are going to figure out who I am. I'm . . . I'm scared, Johns."

He stared at her, brain still slightly fuzzed. _Why the fuck is she telling me this?_

_Sent our information . . . right. DNA. They're gonna figure out I'm not Johns real fast. Right. Smart kid. _ Another stab of gratitude. "You runnin' from folks who hurt you?"

Her voice dwindled, became small. "Yeah."

"Folks who are gonna come after you?"

She made a complicated gesture with her shoulders. "Maybe. I think they'll . . . send for me."

He sighed, put an arm around her. He'd figure out how much of that was true, and whether he cared, later. Play for the camera now. "I didn't get you off that fucking planet to hand you over to people who are gonna hurt you."

Her gratitude seemed wholehearted and utterly unfeigned. Made him uncomfortable. "Thank you."

"I gotta piss. There a place?"

"Yeah." She pointed at a small door. He stood cautiously. Leg took his weight without complaining. _Huh. Really musta been out a while. _The refresher was bare bones, just a mirror, pull out toilet, pull out sink, and small showerhead in the corner. It was clean, efficient, professional, almost military. But barely big enough for him to turn around. _Would there be cameras in here too? _When he was done, he washed his hands carefully. He'd check out the shower soon.

Jack was back on her chair, curled up. Poor kid was bone dead tired. Must not be sleeping well. "I'm hungry, kid. There food here?"

"Yeah, plenty." She got up as if to prepare it.

"Kid, I'm fine. Just point." She gave him a big smile, pointed to a cupboard that turned out to be full of standard rations, enough to keep them both alive for a long time. He picked one, ate slowly. Now that what ever had sustained her when he'd woken was fading, Jack's exhaustion was getting to him. But there were things he needed to know, in case things happened fast.

"Tell me about our rescuers. I don't remember them."

She nodded, earnestly. "You were pretty feverish. That wound you got was infected and we couldn't get it under control. The guys who picked us up seem to be good people. There's a captain, who's also the pilot. There's a first officer; he's also the medic. I saw three other people in cryo when they put Abu to sleep. I don't know anything about them."

"What they doin'?"

"They said it was a cargo run."

"This the only room with life support?"

She shrugged. "That's what they told me." Her voice went shy again. "I didn't go exploring. I didn't want to get too far away from you."

Despite himself, he smiled at her. "How we supposed to get to cryo?"

"They showed me how to turn on life support between here and there. And we've got breathers."

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days."

_This kid kept quiet for three days? Didn't know she had it in her. _"You been watching over me for three days?"

"Yeah."

Another flash of unfamiliar gratitude. He ran a hand over his head. Three days growth, yup, that was consistent. Weird he'd slept that long; they must have drugged him hard. _Makes sense, use up less life support, and with her watching, less risk of sepsis. _He suddenly realized that she had probably rolled him over regularly, kept him hydrated, probably took care of other intimate details_. _ He eyed her carefully. She yawned again.

"You're tired."

"Haven't been sleeping well."

"Why?"

She shrugged, expressively. "Didn't want anything to happen to you while I was sleeping."

He was touched. It felt weird how much he was responding to this kid. He stood. "Take the bed. I'm gonna check out the computer, and try to get the kinks out."

"Okay." Without taking off her clothes, she tunneled under the covers, practically hugging the wall.

"Kid."

"Yeah?" She looked over her shoulder at him.

"I owe ya one."

She flashed him a look of pure joy. "No, you don't. I'm glad I could help."

"Go to sleep, Jack."

She did almost immediately. He turned off the lights. The room was too small for a full work out, but at least he could stretch, feel his muscles. He did a few simple katas, trying to find his balance again, working in silence. Jack had curled into fetal position away from him, but he could see her face clearly.

_They took a DNA sample. They know she's a girl. Still locked her in here with me. What kind of people do that? _

_They might just have sent the sample without looking. The fact she's not afraid of me probably counted for something. _

_She is afraid. Just that whatever she's hiding from ain't here. _

_No, but she thinks its gonna come to get her. _

_Not my problem. _

She rolled over onto her back. He had a sudden image of what one of those monsters would have done to her. Ripped open that soft belly and sucked up the juices. He closed his eyes.

_Gettin' soft, Riddick. Anyway, you got her off the planet. More than anyone ever did for you. _

He stretched as high has he could, putting his palms on the ceiling. Lowered them in a sweeping arch that took up nearly all the free space in the room. Felt muscles in his back crack.

_No, not more than anyone did for you. You've been saved from monsters a time or two. Even had a girl die for you. _

_Even had a girl die for you. _

_Even had a little girl kill for you. _

He suddenly wanted go get the fuck away from that little girl, but if she was right, the only place to go was cryo. Made a few more spins, then sat at the small terminal.

Only took about an hour to learn all there was to learn. Ship had valuable cargo. They wanted it delivered. They seemed like good folks; standing orders were to stop for disabled ships, stick the passengers straight in cryo so as not to tax the fuel. But they hadn't because they didn't want his wound to fester.

They'd sent the message burst three days ago. Given where they were, it'd be at least five more days before a return message would come. Best to be off the ship before then, but he could probably hack the systems to intercept. Riskier, but it'd give him a few more days. Might even be able to divert the ship, though he was getting the sense that this thing had far better navigation fail safes than the Hunter-Grazner.

The skiff was in a cargo bay. He could try to repair it. Taking it would give him the best shot not be tracked. This ship had an emergency transport, but it was sure to be tagged. Fix the skiff or take their emergency ship, be far away before the burst came back.

He looked over at the kid. She was out cold. Suddenly it seemed like a really good idea. Been far too long since he'd really slept in a bed, and being unconscious in one just did not count. He slipped in beside her and, out of habit, wrapped his arms around her, pinning her to him. Best way to sleep with someone else, just in case she decided to stab you in the middle of the night. She jerked awake and gave him a wide eyed look. She seemed about to say something, but he was dead asleep before his head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

When Riddick crawled into bed and wrapped his arms around me, I just about panicked. Okay, yeah, I have a huge fuckin' crush on him, but it isn't _real. _We're not going to sail beyond the sunset and live happily ever after on a farm with a sheep and a goat and raise horses, like my mom used to say. He's got zero interest in me. And I'm real good with that.

But then Riddick was in bed holding me tight just like _he _had that first night.

Last time this happened I fought and got the crap beat out of me. I'm not proud to admit that made me hesitate.

Which turned out to be the right thing to do. Riddick fell asleep immediately. Guess it wasn't about sex; it was just about the bed. I felt silly once I got that. Of course he'd think that was okay; I'd cuddled up to him on the skiff because I was cold and he was cold and because I was scared he was going to go into shock and because I was just plain scared and I thought he'd protect me from . . . well, everything. But it's different when there's a disapproving holy man within arms reach than when you're locked in a bedroom with someone.

I fell asleep eventually. And, to my surprise, I had woken up before he did. So now I'm lying in the arms of the most beautiful man I've ever met, a man who saved my life, a man I'm two thirds in love with. Hoping he doesn't want to fuck me.

* * *

**0o0**

Riddick woke slowly, feeling safe and warm, with a girl in his arms. _Nice. _Without thinking, he nuzzled the back of the girl's neck. She stiffened, and the smell of her fear hit him hard. _Right. Girl. Little girl. _He let her go, made a show of yawning, stretching, getting out of bed as if he hadn't half propositioned her. _Too young anyway. _ She seemed to be happy to pretend it hadn't happened.

After their respective morning ablutions, she asked, brightly, "Can I check out your leg?"

He shrugged. "Sure." He plopped back down on the bed – she'd made it while he was in the bathroom -- and stretched out. She knelt by him on the floor, gave him a surprisingly competent exam. When she was done, he patted the spot beside him. "Whatcha running away from?"

She flushed, sat down beside him gingerly. "Ever hear of Bountiful?"

"You're from Bountiful?"

"No. My folks were executed on Bountiful."

_What the fuck? _He gave her a close look, but she seemed utterly sincere. "What happened to you?"

"I bolted. Chopped off my hair, snuck away to the space station, got on the first ship that would take me. I knew spacer lingo, so it didn't take too long. Switched ships a few times. You know the next part."

"Kid?"

"What?"

"You're leaving out things."

"Yeah."

"What?"

She sighed, stared into the middle distance. "Look, I was really pretty, once upon a time. My brother used to say he'd have to beat the boys off with a stick when I got old enough. Guess he was right. Only he was dead."

"So you got raped."

"No." She gave him a quick, scared look. "Not exactly. Back on Bountiful, they married me to some old guy."

"Christ, kid, you're _married?"_

"Yeah. Big ceremony and everything."

"Fuck, kid, how old are you?"

"Fourteen." Finally, she fixed him with a long look. "If I get caught, they'll send me back to him."

He stared down at her for a long time, thinking about the implications of what she was saying. He didn't like those thoughts. Finally, "No one will send you back to that."

She shook her head. "Lots of places would. Look, I was spacer kid. They'll report me as a runaway child. The standard thing to do when you find a runaway in cryo is just to send them back without waking them up. It's the cheapest thing to do. Owens promised me he wouldn't let it happen to me while I was on his ship. After he died, I figured I'd attach myself to Shazza. She was the type to be outraged. And I thought if I got far enough, it would get too expensive to send me back to my – husband."

"Kid, don't call him that. He's just some guy who raped you."

She looked away. "He didn't. That's the thing. Perfectly legal, on that world. A husband's prerogative. I'm the criminal, for running away. They'll . . . punish me if I go back."

The words splashed hard. Riddick leaned back, mind working furiously. _Not my problem. Lots of kids get married younger than her . . . _

"Does Abu know?"

She shook her head.

"No one would send you back to that," he repeated.

"Maybe you're right," she said, clearly humoring him. "But that's another reason I stayed awake. I'd have to be awake to tell them about it."

He sensed she had something else to say. He stayed quiet. Finally, it escaped, her voice tight and high, "I'd rather die than go back there."

He stared at her, disquieted. Changed the subject. "Your parents were spacers?"

"Yeah."

"You know how to fly?"

"Okay. Not great with atmosphere yet. But yeah, I know the basics."

He started to laugh. "Kid, it's a really good thing that – that Riddick didn't know that."

"Why?"

"He knew I sucked as a pilot and I was keeping him alive as a back up in case anything happened to Fry. Riddick mighta offed you if he knew you coulda been Fry's back up."

Her eyes were big. He thought for a moment she'd misunderstood him. He put an arm around her, squeezed her close. "Just sayin'. You were smart to keep your mouth shut and stick close. I'm glad you made it off that planet with me."

She relaxed. "Me too."

After a minute, he pulled himself away, leaving her on the bed. Started stretching. She watched, seemingly fascinated. After a few minutes, he sat down at the computer. "You got a book or something?"

"Yeah."

"I gotta do some stuff on the computer. Why don't you read." He made half a head jerk towards the camera.

She nodded, curled up with a hand reader while he probed the system. It took a long time, but he finally got to the atmospheric schematics. As per usual, the ship as a whole was on minimum life support. They could turn on full life support between here and the cryotube bay, thoughtfully kept in the safest part of the ship. Then they'd have fifteen minutes to get in the tubes before the life support got turned back down. Wouldn't kill them if they dawdled, but the two of them would use up the oxygen and be brain damaged within a few hours if they didn't figure out something.

Well, that wasn't a hard system to hack; keep life support on selected parts of the ship until both tubes were deployed.

The bigger problem was that this ship was corporate, running on a very tiny margin. There simply wasn't enough power and resources to keep them both awake and alive the time it'd take to repair the skiff. Not even enough for gravity outside of this tiny room.

_Wonder if she's any good with computers? If she's a spacer's kid, she might be. . . _Gave her a side long look.

"Been a long time since I really talked to anyone," he said, carefully. She looked at him puzzled. "Anyone who wasn't a bounty. It's nice to be able to just . . . talk. Find out about things."

"Yeah," she said. She very deliberately put the reader down, rolled over so she was facing him, still laying down, back to the camera. Her eyes flicked up to the ceiling. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I like talking." She stretched. Bounced out of bed. Walked over to him. Saw what he was doing.

He yielded the seat to her. Didn't talk her long, she clearly knew ships' computers. "Okay, we've got at least fifteen minutes before system repairs itself. We can say or do anything.

"Good girl." He stroked her nearly naked head. "May I?"

"The ship is yours, captain," she said, smiling. He sat down, started pulling up data. She watched, quietly.

With the new access she'd given him, a plan started to coalesce. Stick the kid in cryo, suit up, fix the skiff, go. He glanced at her sidelong. Best thing for him was to leave her here. But he liked her. Didn't like the idea of her getting sent back to some child rapist.

_Get over yourself. Not in the hero business. Anyway, she'll meet more rapists traveling with you than she will on some bumfuck backwater religious colony. . . _

But he really didn't want her sent back to that world. _Maybe pin a note to her shirt. Dear sir or madam. Don't send this kid to Bountiful or I will hunt down and eliminate you and your gene pool. _He snorted. She looked up. "Huh?"

He smiled at her. "Just thinking things through."

"Got a plan?

"Plan. Corporate's gonna respond to the message in a few days. We need to be gone. That means repairing the skiff. Problem is, this ship's got limited fuel for life support and none for gravity."

She nodded. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to go into cryo. I'm gonna fix the skiff."

She didn't like that answer. "I can help. I know things about ships."

He hesitated. Finally. "We'll check it out together. But unless it's in much better shape than I think, there's not life support for both of us for the time it will take to fix it."

The system clicked back on, locking him out of the secured files and rebooting the surveillance. He smiled at her as if nothing had just happened. "Yeah. Pack anything you are sure you don't wanna loose. Don't want to abuse these folks' hospitality by using up too much of their fuel margin."

She gave him a suspicious look. Almost defiantly, she loaded a hip satchel with several days worth of rations, an emergency kit, and a few other random pitiful things she must have scavenged from the skiff or been given by the crew. He gathered his shivs and hit the controls to clear their way. They slowly started to float.

_No gravity. Right. _Jack had no trouble swimming in it. More evidence she really was a spacer's kid. His zero gravity training was mostly focused on combat. He copied what she was doing. The trick was languid movement. Made their way towards the skiff. The ship's minimal lighting seemed to be motion activated. It was bone achingly cold.

They poked around the skiff's engines. Wasn't gonna be too hard to fix, but it was going to take time . . . and strength. His job. She seemed to understand, and understand the need to keep quiet. They made their way to the tubes. He picked the one closest to Abu for her, helped her in.

Her words seemed far away in the thin air as he secured the straps around her. "You'll be here when I wake up?" She asked. There was fear in her eyes. It made him feel itchy.

Nonetheless, he smiled at her. "Where else would I be?" Solicitously, he slipped the needle into her arm, watched until she fell asleep, and sealed her in. Found a fresh breathing unit and a survival suit, made his way back to the skiff. Went to work.

**0o0  
**

It took time.

**0o0**

Some days later, the trap he set on the system finally sounded an alert. Corporate's response was back. He took a break. Skiff was nearly ready for its rebirth anyway.

He read the message with a growing sense of unease. "Abu al-Walid. Family contacted, has pre-paid for cryo-transit to New Mecca. Transfer arrangements have been made from Pytho Station.

"Audrey Lee. Family contacted, has pre-paid for cryo-transit to Bountiful. Runaway. Family requests she not be removed from cryo until she is safe with them. Transfer arrangements have been made from Pytho Station.

"Our initial research indicates that the third man may be a fugitive, traveling under an assumed name. Authorities have _not_ been notified because we fear the ship will be intercepted and interdicted upon such notification. Do not revive him; private security will take custody of the man upon arrival at Pytho Station. Should he attempt to escape, do not interfere. Should be considered armed and dangerous."

_Huh. They don't send my name. Lucky break there. Keep down the total number of mercs. _

_Jack's name is Audrey Lee?_

**0o0  
**

He spent some time on the navigation computer. Three more days, they'd be near enough to an inhabited world to slip away there. He knew he could steal a better ship there.

Which left him with the question.

_Take Jack with me?_

The idea was stupid. He couldn't take care of a kid. He'd fuck her up some how. Or worse. If something happened to him, she could end up in a very dark place.

_She's goin' to a pretty dark place now. _

He swam down to the cryo-bay, floating in front of her thoughtfully. _Not really my problem. _

_Poor kid. Defenseless. _

_She doesn't have to be. _

He put a trap on the ship's communicator, setting it to rebroadcast messages broadly. He'd be able to intercept them for a long time, and hopefully it would just seem like a system's fault. Might give him some warning.

Then he went back to the cargo bay. Went to work. Before long, he had two shivs, one made of bone, one of a carbon polymer. They were perfect; built for her hands, both with perfect sheaths all curved to fit against her body. Only a strip search should find them. He carefully positioned them in two pockets. One with a note. "Stick with the Holy Man. He'll take care of you. Be strong."

Slipped another note in the holy man's pocket. "Take care of her. Or else you'll see me again."

He kissed her on the forehead before he left her. He was still full of regret. But the chances of something going wrong was just too great, and he really didn't want that kid's death, or worse, on his conscious. The pilot – what the fuck was her name again? Carrie? Carolyn? Had died for her. She deserved a shot at a decent life. One that wouldn't involve triple max prisons. One with him far away. He left.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Shit_.

Someone was pulling me out of a cryo-tube into the now disturbingly well lit corridor of our rescue ship. Whoever it was, it sure as hell wasn't Riddick. I could see the holy man, still dead asleep, in the next tube. I could see the crew, still dead asleep in their tubes. No Riddick anywhere. He left me.

I was so screwed.

I didn't recognize the two men in front of me. One looked like a guard. He already had the little satchel of stuff I'd scavenged over his shoulder. The other looked like a business man, one not used to children. I focused on him.

"What's going on?" I quavered, embarrassed by the weakness in my voice.

"I'm sorry miss," Mr. Business Man said, clearly uncomfortable. "You've made it to Pytho Station. I know you've been through a lot. We need to ask you a few questions. Then we'll get you on your way home."

I shook my head, frantically. "I'll tell you anything. But I don't have a home. I was last on Bountiful – they killed my parents. They made me live with a man who," my voice choked off, I couldn't believe I was saying this. I couldn't say it. "I don't want to go back there."

Mr. Business Man was flustered, clearly uncomfortable. He swallowed repeatedly, his Adam's apple bobbing worriedly. "I know your parents were executed. I'm so sorry. I don't know if there's anything I can do, but I'll try."

He was lying. Not maliciously, he just couldn't do anything and he knew it. I knew it. I couldn't help it, I started to cry. Riddick left me. I told him everything, and he'd left me. I shrugged off the guard's grip and shoved my hands deep in my pockets, searching for a tissue.

Which is when I found them. Three things. A note, and two objects that took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out were sheathed shivs. He'd left me presents. Maybe he cared after all. The guard handed me a tissue, and I buried my face into it.

They took me to a non-descript building at the edge of the tarmac. I needed to know what was in my pocket. "I gotta pee," I insisted, sniffing tearfully. Mr. Business Man hesitated, looked helplessly at the guard.

The guard shrugged. "No problem. She can wait a minute." I started to protest that I really couldn't wait before I realized it was a different "she." The guard led me to a small restroom with a real door. "I'll wait here," he said, stationing himself outside the door. I nodded, feeling damn grateful for the small kindness.

The room was nice enough. The stall was nice enough. I risked the possibility of cameras and pulled out the note first. Read it hungrily. _Be strong. _Yeah. I took a deep breath, pulled out the other thing in that pocket.

It fit in my hand perfectly. Riddick made it for just me. The blade was the sharpest thing I had ever seen, and there wasn't a hint of metal on it. I could sail through most security. The other was just as fine. Two knives, hand made by a serial killer just for me. He really cared. I was tearing up.

Which brings me to the question – can I use these to escape? There was no other way out of here except through that guard. Could I kill a man? One who wasn't trying to kill me or someone I loved?

I shoved the shivs back in my pockets, peed, washed my hands and face, came out. The guard didn't question how long I'd taken. Mr. Business Man seems to have scurried away, at least he was nowhere around.

The guard gave me a rueful smile. "I'm sorry, kid. I heard about your ship crashing, and about your parents. No one should have to go through that. Especially a kid." He clapped my arm affectionately. "I got a daughter about your age."

_Shit_. I can't kill him. He's a real person, just like me. I nodded, sniffled, and let him lead me to a small room with a small heavy looking metal table, chairs on either side. He brought me a glass of water, and left me there to wallow in misery. I tried the door. It was locked. No windows, but there was another surveillance camera in the corner. I sat and got a good start on wallowing.

Before too long at all, a drop dead gorgeous woman came in. I mean, as beautiful a woman as Riddick was a man. Might even have been taller than him. She was both muscled and curved just right. I was momentarily diverted from my utter misery by a sudden fit of utter jealousy. And by her gun.

"Hello," she said. "My name is Dea, and I want to help you." Her voice was low and strong and she smiled at me so compassionately I started to bawl. Before I knew what happened, her arms were around me, and she was whispering comforting words I could barely hear –

Until I heard the word "Riddick." Halted my tears the way a mountain stops an airplane. Then I blushed furiously. _Shit. _I'm doing this all wrong. She was watching, a slight smile on her face.

The woman gave me one last squeeze, let go of me, sat back down, resting her hands on the table. Her eyes were still compassionate. "I'm so sorry. You've been through so much. Your parents. Your . . . adoption. The crash. You must be an amazing girl. "

I stared at her, wide eyed. Oh shit. Is there anything she didn't know?

"Too amazing to go back to Bountiful. I know what they do to little girls there." Yeah, right, sure you do lady. No woman on Bountiful looked anything like you. You don't look beaten down at all.

"Please," I said, my voice embarrassingly high and weak. "Abu – the man in the next cryo-tube – he's going to take care of me. I just need to get to New Mecca. Don't let them send me back to Bountiful."

She sighed. Looked at her fingers. Looked at me. Met my eyes and said again, "I want to help you." All sincerity. "_Once you can fake that," _my mother used to say, _"you can fake anything." _I knew, all the way down, that this woman really was sending me up.

"Thank you," I whispered, really willing to be wrong about the 'sending me up' thing. Though I knew I wasn't.

"And I can. If you help me."

The offer hit the floor like ten gallons of mercury, splashing everywhere. I stared at her wide eyed. She fakes sincerity. She openly carries a gun into an interview with a freaked out kid. She says the word "Riddick." She wants my help. She's a merc.

I was already shaking my head, involuntarily, but I heard myself asking "How?"

The woman smiled, pulled up a satchel I hadn't even noticed. Shit, I had to notice these sorts of things now. She pulled out some photos. Surveillance photos. She must have done some serious legwork to have these shots. Me and Riddick, on Chillingsworth's ship. Me and Riddick, talking on some space station somewhere. Me and Riddick, _in bed. _They'd caught the moment he'd nuzzled the back of my neck. I blushed again, furiously.

"That's Johns. He saved my life."

The woman's lips twitched. "Is that who he told you he was?"

I nodded cautiously, my heart racing.

"My dear child, he lied to you. His name is Richard B. Riddick. He's a serial killer. A convict. A very ill man."

I looked down, tearing up again. I repeated, defiantly, "He saved my life."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm going to give you a chance to save his."

I wasn't expecting _that. _I looked at her, saying nothing.

"I've been watching him for a long time. Learned a few things about him. I'm not that surprised he saved your life; he's got a soft spot for kids." I was watching her carefully, but said nothing. "Riddick was put on that ship by William Johns. Now, that man was a raging asshole."

I nodded, involuntarily. Her look sharpened like she smelled blood. She leaned forward. "You know, I've always thought Riddick was the great white whale to Willie's Captain Ahab."

At my blank look, she smiled made a dismissive gesture. "Doesn't matter. I'm just saying, William Johns was a raging asshole and drug addict, who didn't much like children. It doesn't surprise me that you'd like Riddick better. The man has some good qualities." She licked her lips and smiled.

I shrugged. Said again, weakly, for a third time, "He saved my life."

"I know. He's got some good qualities. Good to kids and animals. Frankly, most of the people he's killed deserved it. And it is fairly clear to me he's got some mental health issues. A bit of a god complex." She was now watching me carefully. "I don't want to kill him. But I can't leave him out there to kill again. _We_ can't leave him out there to kill again."

"And the bounty's worth more with him alive," I said, bitterly. Instantly regretted it, as it confirmed what she suspected; that I knew it was Riddick.

She nodded, sagely, not rubbing my nose in it. "That's part of it. But I'm also just not a big fan of killing. Don't get me wrong, some people deserve it, and I will do it. But sometimes you get the wrong guy, and sometimes innocents die in the crossfire. This is where you come in."

I kept my mouth shut.

After a moment, she started talking again. "Help me. He clearly likes you. You can get close to him. He's clearly not on guard around you," she pushed the picture of us in bed together towards me. I flinched. "You get close, we drug him and take him in. We'll take him to a prison that has a good mental health facility. Maybe they can help him deal with his demons; maybe even give him a shot at a decent life. Maybe even one you can be a part of."

I stared at her, my thoughts jumbled and spilling out. Even if she was lying, going with her could give me a chance to escape. Maybe even a chance to help Riddick. Warn him –

She was smiling at me. I took a deep breath. "What would I have to do?"

She shrugged. "I figured we'd come up with a plan together. I know him on paper. You really know him. Maybe pretend to put you in danger, so he has to come save you."

I started to snort, to tell her that he'd left me for monsters to eat at twice in less than a month, but decided she didn't need to know any more about him than she did. So I just kept quiet. She kept talking. "Or maybe you ran away from the holy man to look for him. Just something to let me get close enough to drug him. So I don't have to kill him. I don't want to kill him."

"Can I think about this?"

"Sure."

"Alone?"

She hesitated. Then she smiled, pushed back her chair, and left quietly.

I drank the rest of the water. I stared at the wall. I stood. I paced.

I tried the door. It was unlocked. I left.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

I almost made it. Did make it out of the building. Almost panicked when I saw the security guard who brought me in. But his eyes skated right over me and kept going. I slipped out a side door, walked like I knew what I was doing towards the spaceport proper. I was giddy.

I never even saw her; Dea must move as quietly as Riddick. Didn't know anyone was behind me until she shoved me hard against a wall.

"Fuck!"

"Language, young lady," she chided. I tried to kick back, but before I knew what was happening, she'd kicked my legs so far apart I'd fall if I tried. I scrambled for the shivs. No chance, she had my hands cuffed. My god she was fast.

"Come on." She frog-marched me fast towards a ship. Absurdly, I noticed the name – the Typhon – and a tasteful motif of snakes on the bow. We were on board before I could get my breath back to scream kidnapping.

She yanked me through three doors into a room that had to be a cell. She thrust me back against a wall, and metal arms snaked around me. They tangled my arms and legs and one even went around my neck. I was freaking out, completely immobile. Things are bad. Really bad. I've got hissing metal snakes pinning me to a wall.

And then one of them bit me. "Ow! What the fuck was that!"

She just kept smiling. "Just something to help you tell the truth. We need to be able to trust each other."

The words came out of my mouth without any conscious agency. "I don't trust you. You're a merc. You have no code." God, why did I say that? I should be sucking up to this woman. Not fighting her.

She smiled, almost lovingly. "Did Riddick tell you that?" She was watching me carefully. "He did, didn't he? What else did he tell you? That he'd be there when you woke up?"

I blanched. How the hell did she know that? The word forced its way out. "Yes."

Her eyes were kind. She stroked my face, and with this thing around my throat I couldn't pull away even a little bit. "Child, men will promise anything in the evening. He may even have meant it, as you were falling asleep. But in the morning . . ." her voice trailed off.

"I swear on my mother's grave. You help me, I will take you someplace nice and safe. I'll take you anywhere you want. You don't help me, I send you back to Bountiful."

"Fuck you."

"You're a little young for me." Her tongue flicked out, quickly. "If you are lucky, that's all that will happen to you. If I send the picture of you and Riddick in bed, you could be executed for adultery."

I couldn't help it, a sob came out. Her smile was sweet, like she was offering me apples. "Are you willing to die for him?"

"I've killed for him." Oh god, she gave me a truth drug and I said that. I said that. I'm doomed.

She started slightly. "You've killed, little one? Who?"

Words I knew I shouldn't say were coming from my lips. "Crazy woman. Chillingsworth. She was going to kill him."

She threw back her head and laughed. "Chillingsworth! Don't tell anyone you did that child, unless you've got a death wish. She had a lot of . . . well, not friends, but people who owed her favors. I knew I was right about you. You'd be wasting your life on Bountiful." She took my face in her hands and gazed into my eyes. "Be my apprentice."

As best I could, I shook my head emphatically. "I'd rather die than betray him."

To my surprise, she gave me an approving nod, let go of my face. "I respect that. I really do."

She started to pace. "No. You _would_ rather die. But you're a spacer's kid. You would also rather die than spend the rest of your life chained to the ground. Planets like Bountiful take girls like you for your genes and your womb. No woman like you – like us --voluntarily moves to planets full of misogynist zealots. If they think you'll try to escape again, they'll keep you chained and pregnant and give your children away."

Oh god. I can't go back. "You'd send me back knowing what will happen to me? Doesn't that make you an accessory to rape and murder?" I could feel the tears leaking down my face, and snot was beginning to drip. "Why don't you just kidnap me and use me as bait?"

She laughed. It was a lovely sound. "You mean, why don't use you as just a means to an end? I'm an ethical woman, I don't do things like that. I have a code."

I snorted.

Her tongue flicked out quickly, like she was tasting the air. "I am not a kidnapper. My warrant gives me the legal right to question you, 'using methods designed to elicit truthful cooperation.' Once it is clear your useful cooperation has ended, it is my duty to return you to those who have a legal claim on you."

Her tongue flicked out again. I stared at her lips, slightly hypnotized. She smiled again.

"Besides, I need to be confident you won't betray me. Right now, would you betray me to him?"

"Yes." The word forced its way out through clenched teeth.

"Yes," she repeated, thoughtfully. "Let me change the stakes a little. Don't go anywhere." She left the little room.

Shit, I can't wipe off the snot, let alone go. How the hell did Riddick get out of restraints? I can't move at all. I can't even keep my mouth shut.

After what seemed like forever, she came back with something that looked like an overgrown cat. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a wig. You look like a boy, dear. Let's pretty you up a bit."

The inside of the wig was slightly sticky. Dea took her time arranging it. Showed me my own face in a mirror she'd brought back. "There, now don't you look sweet? Your loving husband probably won't execute you looking like that."

I was unquestionably a girl with the damn thing on. A pretty girl. A vulnerable, pretty girl. "Please take it off me." My voice was tight.

"No. But if you promise to help me, you can take it off yourself. Help me. Or go back in chains, never to fly again."

I stared at her through tears. I'm a spacer's kid. Never to fly again.

Unless I betray a man who saved my life.

A man who betrayed me. Promised he'd be there when I woke up.

I shook my head. She sighed, and the tongue flicked out again. She hit some control, and the snakes pulled away from my limbs disconnecting me from the wall, though I still had on the damn cuffs. Then she frog-marched me back out the three doors, out of the ship, back to the nondescript building.

Mr. Business Man was there, fingers fluttering impotently. "We'll have you home in no time, miss," he said, worriedly. "We're going to put you in cryo now, though it will be a bit before the ship comes. We'll make sure you are loaded on nice and safe." Somehow, he managed to never look at the cuffs. Wuss.

They bundled me into a cryo tube. Dea gave me one last meaningful look, checked the buckles and hung the key to the cuffs around my neck. She tucked it into my shirt. I can still feel it between my breasts. They all left.

The cryo needle is in my arm.

I'm in a tube, in a hanger, waiting for the drugs to take hold. And I'm laughing.

I'm laughing now because they didn't take the shivs. Never occurred to them to search me.

I'm laughing because I've got at least one chance. At some point, they'll take the chains off. All the girls did housework, after all.

I'm laughing because I've got another chance not to go back to that life. She's right; I'd rather die. And Riddick's given me a chance. Blade across the jugular, swipe, die. If I'm lucky, maybe I can take my 'husband' with me.

Riddick's saved my life again. I won't live locked down. I won't live locked up. I'm going to walk in the sun. I'm going to fly. Or I'm going into that good night.

I'm laughing so hard that tears are running down my face. Riddick's saved me. I love him. I wish I'd told him that.

I hold on to that fiercely as the darkness closes over my head.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Weeks after he left Jack sleeping, Riddick emerged from a forgettable ship on a forgettable world, sunlight raining down irritatingly on his head.

He'd switched ships three times since he'd left Jack. He should be far away. Instead, he was on Pytho. The last place he knew Jack had been. He hadn't meant to go there. Really.

_Damn social workers. _He'd intercepted a message confirming that Jack, "pursuant to the interplanetary child custody act," had been transferred at the Pytho Station to a ship that would eventually take her to Bountiful. They probably never even woke her up. She'd been right; she had to be awake to save herself, and he had put her back to sleep.

If he wanted to rescue her, all he'd have to do is break into a building not that far away, find out what ship she was on, catch up with it, and take her off. Even if he didn't catch her before she woke up, he could just go to Bountiful and take her there. Not like some bumfuck farmer could stop him. Be fun to kill that guy anyway. _Not like I have anything better to do. _

Or maybe she'd kill the bastard. She'd killed before . . ._ and then I'll break her out of prison and we'll sail off into the sunset__ with a sheep and a cow and raise horses__? _ He grunted.

_Unless they kill her first. _

_You were going to stay away from her so she didn't become any more of a killer_. _ And now you're hoping she does? What the fucking hell is wrong with you? Why can't you stop worrying about that kid?_

_She's the last female I went to bed with. _He snorted. _Maybe that's what I need. A good fuck. A good fuck to get that kid's scent out of my nose. _

He wasn't too far from a pub. He decided to stop for a drink first, think it through one more time. The interior was comfortingly dark. He settled down at the bar.

"What'llya have?" the barkeeper asked.

"Something dark." A bottle appeared, just as a woman entered the pub. She was tall, muscular, gorgeous, with a don't-fuck-with-me attitude that he could really respect. He gave her a sidelong glance as she sat down at the bar fairly near him and a salute with the beer.

At first, he thought she was going to blow him off. But as her eyes played over him, she hesitated. The irritated look turned to a smile. "I'll have what he's having," she said to the barkeeper. "Looks good," she called over to him.

He winced slightly at the line. But it had been a long time, and she was stunning. He smiled at her. "Yeah. Just what you need after a long trip."

She moved over, closer, though not intrusively so. "Name's Dea. Hate to drink alone."

"Me too." He let his voice drop, suggestively. "Name's Johns."

She smiled, all understanding. They drank. They left. She had a ship, not so far off. A very nice ship. Better than the last one he'd stolen. With a very nice bed.

**0o0**

After they finished – and it was a truly marathon experience, Riddick felt quite sated and more than a little winded -- she fixed him with a look. "I'm going to get us some chocolate." She scrambled out of bed with a silly, happy, foolish grin on her face. The doors whooshed open and shut for her automatically, sealing the room.

_Gotta do that again. _He yawned._ Maybe in the morning. _

He was tired. _Really _tired. _Just close my eyes for a minute . . . _He could feel sleep coming on fast. His limbs felt leaden, and the bed felt wonderful. _I could get used to this. _Everything felt glorious. He was slipping into sleep, and it was bliss. The bed was the most comfortable Riddick could remember being in for years. Far better than the one he'd shared with Jack –

_Jack_. _Damn. _Had managed not to think of her since he'd first locked eyes with this Dea woman. He frowned.

_That's not true_. _I thought of her as soon as I boarded_. And now he was thinking of her again. He definitely had _not _gotten her smell out of his nose. In fact, the smell seemed to be getting stronger and stronger --

Truth sluiced down like ice water. _Jack's been here. On this ship. Other side of that door._

He took a deep breath and smelled something else. There was a faint narcotic sweetness to the air. His head swum. _Fuck. Dea drugged the air supply. She's a merc._ He held his breath, started to get up. Head spun, and he slipped back down onto the bed. His lungs were screaming. He needed a plan.

_No time. She's back. _He risked a breath, force it to mimic the slow breathing of a man asleep. The door opened. He risked another breath, just like he was sleeping, ignoring his screaming lungs.

With the opened door, the narcotic smell had eased, though his awareness of Jack skyrocketed. "Damn, Riddick. If I'd known you were gonna be that easy, I wouldn't have messed with your little girl." She walked across the room, tried to lift him out of bed. He kept his body limp, listening. "Damn. You really must be a gentleman; I had no idea you were that heavy. Gonna have to turn down the gravity to get you into the restraints." She chuckled, good naturedly. Footsteps left. She didn't close the door.

_She's a merc who messed with Jack. _Heat blazed across him, and his heart sped automatically. Muscle control was coming back already. He couldn't have gotten a full dose of the drug. He managed to lift an arm, tighten the fingers into a fist. As his fury rose, he felt the leaden weight of his own body ease even more. _Gravity's going. _

Dea was back again. She stopped in the door and clucked her tongue. "You're making me feel bad, Riddick," she said, almost conversationally. "Making me complicit with child abuse. That little girl's 'husband' is going to beat the crap out of her when she gets home. Might even kill her. Now I wish I hadn't sent him the pictures of the two of you in bed."

_You're a dead woman. _He bided his time. As soon as he felt her strong hand on his wrist he exploded upwards. One hand on her throat _the throat I just kissed, _one arm around her waist, _the body I just fucked,_ twist hard. Her spine snapped.

Her corpse had a strangely serene look on its face. But for the chains in her hands, he might have felt bad. He left her dead body floating and dragged himself to the cockpit. The ship was already in orbit around Pytho; she must have had it launch on autopilot. It must have a hell of set of inertial dampers for him not to notice that. Good sign the ship was worth having. Almost randomly, he set course for Bountiful. He went to sleep in the pilot's chair, trusting Dea's corpse would not rot too much before he woke up and shoved it out an airlock.

**0o0**

After he had cracked the merc's encryption – it bothered him slightly how easy that was, as though they thought very much alike -- her meticulous notes told him enough. Jack was on the Fancher heading back to Bountiful by a circuitous route. The merc's notes also said that the interview had been a waste of time; that the girl would not "join the hunt." Wasn't hard to figure out. She'd made Jack an offer. Help me, or I'm sending you back. Jack said no. _Stupid kid. She should have said yes._

Notes said nothing about what happened to Jack on the ship. But he knew she'd been there. The girl's scent still hung on snaking restraints, built to hold men like him, not little girls like her. Some of the metal arms were tipped with drug dispensers and things designed to hurt. He refused to think about it.

He now had a ship. He had a good ship. He could go anywhere. Far enough that the merc's guild wouldn't find him for a long time. Get some peace.

But he promised a little girl he'd be there when she woke up.

And if he wasn't there, someone else would be. Someone who would take her into his house, beat the crap out of her, and never let her out again. _Best case scenario, she kills him with the knives I put in her hands_.

And become hunted.

_Just like me. _

_Not my problem. Saving her life does not give her a claim on me. _

_Saving my life doesn't give her a claim on me. _

He could easily catch up with the Fancher in this ship. Heading in the right general direction already. Take her off, deliver her to New Mecca, give her a good life in one of the richest, most civilized planets ever terraformed, with people who don't send little girls off to shit hole worlds to be raped by old men.

_Yeah. That'd be smart. Take her someplace rich, civilized, and crawling with law enforcement. _

_Already set the course for Bountiful. Got any place better to go? _

**0o0**

The Fancher was making its lazy way through the darkness, ripe for the picking. The merc's ship, the Typhon, had excellent boarding equipment. Their airlocks coupled like it was meant to be.

Riddick had a lot of time to think about how to do this right. He kept the lights and gravity off and swam straight to the cockpit. Erased the ship's passenger inventory and all internal security logs, turned off the internal sensors. And then the bit he was most proud of; he set all the tubes to open automatically when they got to the next stop, three worlds away from Bountiful. They should conclude she took advantage of a system's fault to bolt into a busy spaceport. No one should think he'd risk himself to save some kid he'd already abandoned twice.

Only then did he go hunting. He almost drifted past her; would have if her scent hadn't reached out and grabbed him. Improbably, someone had put a wig on her. With it, she was pretty, with a prettiness that implied she would be stunning some day. A sleeping beauty in a glass coffin.

_Last chance to do something smart. Last chance to walk away. You just gave her a shot._

_That kid killed for you. _

There were streaks of salt down her cheek. She'd gone to sleep sobbing.

_She comes with me, I could turn her into a monster. Just like me. _

He opened the tube and ran a finger down her face.

_She doesn't come with me, her options are pretty much monster or victim. Just like mine were. _

Someone had moved the buckles to the cryo-tube straps out of her reach and pinned her arms behind her. She was strapped into the tube, helpless, just like she'd been locked in the cryo-tube on the Hunter-Grazner before Shazza cut her out. Almost insultingly, someone had thrust her satchel behind her legs.

_God damn it Riddick, make a decision. Take her or don't. It's not like you're taking on a lifelong responsibility. You're just ferrying her to a better place. _

Finally, he pulled the needle out of her arm, undid the straps. Her hands were actually cuffed behind her. They hadn't trusted cryo, or the cryo straps, to keep her confined. He was a little proud of that. He pulled her gently from the tube into the pitch black, snagging her pathetic little satchel for her.

Her eyes lids fluttered, opened. He found himself smiling, maybe at the smell of her sudden panic. She would never be able to trick him about what she was feeling. "Hey, kid," he whispered.

Jack's breath caught. "Ri—Johns?" He had not expected the joy in her voice.

"It's Riddick," he whispered, roughly, even though no one could hear them. "I'm sor--someone cuffed you."

She nodded, sightlessly, gasping slightly in the thin air, disoriented from the cryo-sleep and the darkness. _Maybe I should have turned on some lights for her. _"God. Riddick. I _love_ you. Around my neck – she put the key-"

He was suddenly glad he had left the lights off; that Jack couldn't see the goofy grin on his face. He found the key and uncuffed her, keeping a soft grip on her arm so she did not drift away.

"I knew you'd save me," she whispered, her voice even rougher than his. There was a hysterical tinge to it. "I never had a doubt." Using his grip as a pivot point, she twisted around and wrapped him in a full body bear hug, like she was trying to bury herself in him. She was laughing and crying softly all at once. He froze for an instant. Then he gripped her tightly. And as they slowly spun through the liquid air, nothing else in the universe mattered.

**0o0**

Well, that's it for this one -- it's loosely a prequel to Release, though Release is not so sweet a story. Thanks for reading it, and I'm really warmed by all of the positive reviews!


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